Question First Build - compatibility issues / cases?

[Klandu_7]

Hello, aspiring builder here, after some research I think I'm ready to buy the parts but I want to check first if the components are compatible, have notable problems I missed or if someone has had issues with them.

This build is intended for IT college work + a side of gaming. Extra storage will be added later.

• CPU - AMD Ryzen 9 7900 3.6 GHz 12-Core
• GPU - XFX Speedster SWFT 309 Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB
• MOBO - Gigabyte B650 GAMING X AX ATX AM5
• MEMORY - Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000
• STORAGE - Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 SSD
• COOLER - Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE
• PSU - Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold
• +Optical Drive
• +Case

Since the case must have enough space to accomodate the gpu and cpu cooler while also (required) having at least 1 optical drive cage, I'm torn between these 4 choices:

• Nox Hummer zx (Black) ~ 74€
• In-Win GT1 (Black) ~ 90€
• Be Quiet Pure Base 600 ~ 97€
• Fractal Pop Air ~ 99€

I'm trying to get the optimal budget choice as I've already surpassed my bugdet of 1300€ (not counting a decent monitor). What case would you pick?
Any input appreciated, thanks!

 

[Klandu_7]

I'll leave here the potential issues I've noticed while researching each of the cases:

• The Noc Hummer zx has a closed off section for psu and 2 drives, but it leaves some space for the frontal fans, hope it doesn't penalize the airflow. The case is on the slimmer side but doesn't seem to be a problem for my rig. Main issue is that I can't find many reviews of completed builds and 90% of anything related to this case is in spanish, virtually no videos/discussions/reviews in other languages.

• the In-Win GT1 has a... bold style, but I don't really care. May be a bit crammed inside, cable management is probably it's main flaw. Has short "feets", decent I/O.

• Issues I have with the BeQuiet Is the sub-optimal air flow, as the case is built primarily for noise reduction. Air intakes are very small and the I/O seems pretty minimalistic.

• The main issue with the Fractal Pop Air is the completely closes off bottom section of the case where psu and optical drives are pretty close, seemingly isolated from the airflow. The interior seems pretty crammed too and the positioning of fans may prove difficult. Lastly the I/O panel is lacking.

 

[In2Photos]

I don't see any glaring issues with your selections but put them into a build on pcpartpicker.com just in case.

Why do you need an optical drive?

 

[Tech Junky]

pcpartpicker.com

That's the best way to suss out problems and compare prices.

As to the case take a look at the FD Torrent @Klandu_7

 

[BoomerD]

I don't see any glaring issues with your selections but put them into a build on pcpartpicker.com just in case.

Why do you need an optical drive?

If tho OP NEEDS an ODD, either get some chespo ecternsl, ot get an enclosure to use with one that he already has. That's what I did...works fine for me since I rarely use an ODD nowadays.

 

[Tech Junky]

enclosure

Or just run a SATA and molex out the bottom and connect as needed. I did that with 5 HDDs when moving data to flash.

 

[Klandu_7]

First off, thanks all for the replies, I mean it
Now:

@In2Photos s - I don't have a TV or videoplayer and I intend to use the PC to view my movies. I also prefer to own and use physical media, be it burning DVDs and Blurays or playing the ones I already have + I plan on playing (and getting) a number of old games and they come on discs. I know most people today prefer cases without the 5.25s to save space but I'll need one. I'm positive there are still good PC case equipped with them, since I'll be using the optical drive regurarly I prefer to have it inside the build, not a detached one.

On Pcpartpicker there seem to be no issues regarding compatibility but I know the automated system can't really check every detail and I still lack the experience to be fully confident about this stuff, therefore I thought about sharing my list around in case a more seasoned builder was willing to share some "special" insight.

@Tech Junky - The FD Torrent seems pretty cool but lacks the 5.25 bay and 160/200€ for the case is a bit too much for me now. If I could save money on other components I'd prefer to keep it or invest in more RAM/Storage.

@BoomerD - sorry, I'm not sure what you mean with "chespo ecternsl" 😅
English is not my first so I'm not good with figures of speech or acronyms but I googled it and maybe you meant a cheap external ODD, in that case I've already layed down my reasons for why I strongly prefer an integrated one. Thanks anyways!

 

[Klandu_7]

Sorry, forgot to add: a couple of people suggested I switch the mobo for either the - ASRock B650M PG Lightning Micro ATX AM5 (WIFI vers. for same price) - or the - ASRock B650M Pro RS Micro ATX AM5 (WIFI vers. similar price to my Gigabyte)

I have 0 experience with microATX in general but if some of you do, what do you think of this suggestion? By looking at them I can barely find a difference and to be fair they seem pretty similar to my original Gigabyte pick, they are cheaper (~160€) and shrunk down i guess? I don't know what to make of it

 

[Brainonska511]

mATX is a little smaller than an ATX board, but not that much smaller. And if you're using an ATX case, it doesn't matter. You may also lose a few onboard things, like extra system fan plugs, headers, or even an NVME slots if you go from ATX to mATX. You may need to look more closely at what each board is offering.

 

[Tech Junky]

microATX

They're 3" shorter on one side and you usually lose a slot. Otherwise they're the same as the ATX version.

 

[Klandu_7]

mATX is a little smaller than an ATX board, but not that much smaller. And if you're using an ATX case, it doesn't matter. You may also lose a few onboard things, like extra system fan plugs, headers, or even an NVME slots if you go from ATX to mATX. You may need to look more closely at what each board is offering.

Will do.
Thanks

 

[In2Photos]

Finally had some time to go back through your replies. I prefer to stick with ATX boards unless I'm trying to stay within a certain size. ATX offers more expandability in the future if you end up needing it.

As far as your case goes I like the Fractal Pop Air since it conceals the ODD when not in use and doesn't take up room for the front fans. It looks the most current along with the Pure Base 600, the other 2 look like retro cases.

The main issue with the Fractal Pop Air is the completely closes off bottom section of the case where psu and optical drives are pretty close, seemingly isolated from the airflow. The interior seems pretty crammed too and the positioning of fans may prove difficult. Lastly the I/O panel is lacking.

Having the bottom section closed off shouldn't be an issue. Most basements have a ventilated bottom where you draw air in for the PSU. The Fractal has a dust filter for the PSU as well. The ODD shouldn't get that hot. The XL version has more room and isn't that much more than the non-XL. The front I/O panel is pretty standard, although the Type C port is an add on. What else are you looking for on the front panel? Keep in mind that additional I/O on the front requires additional connections on the motherboard. So getting something with a lot of I/O will require a more expensive motherboard.

 

[Klandu_7]

Hey @In2Photos , welcome back, appreciate the availability.

Yes, after spending some more time studying cases I've noticed that the full "shroud" seems to be morr common than I originally thought so I guess the internal temperature isn't that impacted after all. Still feels wrong when I look at it though, even with the ventilated bottom.

I agree those 2 look more current, I personally lean more towards retro designs but in the end practicality and functionality are what I value most for this PC so I guess the Pop Air is indeed the best pick between those 4. I missed the XL version, wasn't considering full towers but now I'll think about it seeing how close the pricing is.

About the frontal IO, yes, after looking at many more cases it seems about right for contemporary standards but that blueballing USB-C is as grating as it is taunting. Ideally I'd still prefer a layout with a fan control switch, power and reset switches, drive activity led, the audio/mic connections and a couple of USB3 and USB2 ports. Oh well, can't have everything, especially since just like you said, they do have to be plugged somewhere on the motherboard at the end of the day.

 

[Klandu_7]

This brings us to the main issue at hand: the motherboard
Yesterday I put aside the mATX matter and spent a day focusing on the ATXs, trying to pin down the best candidates to hopefully compare at a later date with the mATXs' best offerings. A hope soon shattered, it's a mess. From what I understand all AM5 mobos have had some kind of issue. Gigabyte with the coil roulette, MSI with pervasive Bios instability and board design issues, Asus' dumpster fire ecc... spent hours shifting from brand to brand only to find new unsolved issues each and every time. Most seem completely random too, some people report no issues, other have lost systems. I must have read 100+ threads/reviews. Bit stressful, also doesn't help that my ceiling is around the 200s €, can't bypass the issue with the super high end ones.
After discarding the B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI too, I'm in disarray. I think I'll just get a Gigabyte and hope it's highpitchwhine-less.

I'm ashamed to ask but, since you're quite experienced, could you please do me a big favour and explain what's the difference between the Gigabyte B650 GAMING X AX and the B650 EAGLE AX atx boards (if you want, obviously). I've spent hours and the only things I understood is that the Eagle probably is a newer release, it has better VRM, smaller ethernet connection, some connections are different and even tho it costs about 30€ less than the X AX, no one mentions this mobo or acknowledges its existence in reviews or YT Videos, only in a few posts on reddit and gigabyte's own page that gives me a headache with how information is displayed. Maybe I'm just tired but I can't decipher this image.
Sorry for the rant, I'll try to make sense of it again tomorrow, hopefully with a bit more lucidity.

 

[Klandu_7]

Forgot to update
In the end I managed to get the pdf manuals of both boards and (with the help of some explainingcomputers videos) thoroughly compare the two.
I think the Gaming X AX better fits my needs, between the two it's the one I'd choose.
Issue is that everything I've read points to AM5 B650 boards having major issues across the line, no brand excluded. I'd like to hear from someone who owns one of these boards how did it go or how they manage to make it work / fix it, if it was one of the (apparently) many plagued by these issues.

I've read very recent accounts of whole builds undone by defective boards so the famous BIOS updates do not seem to have fixed very much at all. I hoped I could just assemble the PC and turn it on normally but now I'm afraid I'll get stuck in troubleshooting purgatory, or even worse.

If you were in my position, which motherboard (a B650 ~220€)) would you choose considering all these "configuration" type of issues they suffer from?

 

[Brainonska511]

Forgot to update
In the end I managed to get the pdf manuals of both boards and (with the help of some explainingcomputers videos) thoroughly compare the two.
I think the Gaming X AX better fits my needs, between the two it's the one I'd choose.
Issue is that everything I've read points to AM5 B650 boards having major issues across the line, no brand excluded. I'd like to hear from someone who owns one of these boards how did it go or how they manage to make it work / fix it, if it was one of the (apparently) many plagued by these issues.

I've read very recent accounts of whole builds undone by defective boards so the famous BIOS updates do not seem to have fixed very much at all. I hoped I could just assemble the PC and turn it on normally but now I'm afraid I'll get stuck in troubleshooting purgatory, or even worse.

If you were in my position, which motherboard (a B650 ~220€)) would you choose considering all these "configuration" type of issues they suffer from?

I'm sure some of the issues on boards have been resolved by this point. You need to keep in mind that when something goes wrong, people will post about it, but if it all works fine, you won't hear much. Don't end up in decision paralysis.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YZ...ing-x-ax-atx-am5-motherboard-b650-gaming-x-ax 4.7 stars, 21 reviews
Version 2: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/cP...ax-v2-atx-am5-motherboard-b650-gaming-x-ax-v2 4.5 stars, 2 reviews

Also, just build it shortly after you get all your parts - don't sit on it. If something is wrong, we can help you go through the troubleshooting needed to identify what the issue is, and thus allow you to avoid an RMA (and just replace the part with the vendor).

As for the difference between the two boards (EAGLE vs GAMING): https://www.gigabyte.com/Comparison/Consumer/Result/2?pids=9434,9445,9447
-Maybe some slight differences. Eagle has 1 extra PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, and maybe some minor IO or internal connector differences, maybe slight change in VRMs. Nothing really stood out to me.

You probably can't go wrong with either.

 

[In2Photos]

I'm sure some of the issues on boards have been resolved by this point. You need to keep in mind that when something goes wrong, people will post about it, but if it all works fine, you won't hear much. Don't end up in decision paralysis.

This!

There are lots of builds here in the zen4 thread, most of them trouble free. I have 2 systems, one with a Gigabyte board and one MSI. The Gigabyte had some strange things during installation and at one time it randomly set back to defaults, but nothing major. My MSI has been flawless.

 

[Klandu_7]

@Brainonska511 - @In2Photos
Thanks guys, I will not sit on it.
Wish me luck